The Smell of Cinders and Rain
by Soozen
Summary: A series of one-shots and drabbles, featuring any and all pairings and characters. Drama, angst, friendship and romance will fill the stories. Latest chapter: the evolution of Mai and Zuko's relationship, through Mai's eyes.
1. Kids in the Eye of the Storm: Smellerbee

Hello! Before we get into the story (or rather, stories), I'd like to explain something. This series of one-shots are all based off of the song _Daniel_ by Bat for Lashes. Some stories will have the same lyrics that inspire them; so much of the song is relative to different characters at different points.

I have no idea how long this series will be, but I have ideas for at least ten different one-shots.

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><p>"<em>But in a goodbye bed<br>With my arms around your neck  
>Into our mouths the tears crept<br>Just kids in the eye of the storm….."_

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><p>Smellerbee never thought it would end this way. She was still young- they were all so young, with Jet the oldest at sixteen.<p>

There had always been that idea in the back of her mind, that living as a Freedom Fighter was possibly more dangerous than it was fun, that there was a possibility of being killed in battle. But then she always told herself that there was no way the danger outweighed the thrill of it all.

It was exciting and exhilarating to fight, to know she was damn good, that they all were; that the Fire Nation soldiers truly had no chance against a group of misfit teens and children. Of course, that wasn't really how it was; they just always had the element of surprise, and knew their surroundings better than anyone.

But that all changed. As soon as she saw Jet lying on the cold and damp stone floor of the catacombs, she knew this was different. This was not fun anymore; this was scary and terrifying.

The enemy wasn't so obvious anymore. Earthbenders. Her own kinsmen were the ones that had wounded Jet so fatally, for fighting alongside the Avatar, for fighting for what was right.

She'd never known Jet not to get up a fight. He'd earned some pretty serious wounds; broken bones, gashes so deep she wasn't sure he'd ever stop bleeding, and they all had never stopped Jet from fighting.

But not this time. This time, Jet had gone down, and stayed down. It was then that Smellerbee knew: they would not get out of this place alive.

The Avatar and his crew did; or at least, she hoped they had. It never occurred to her that she and Longshot should go with them; that was unthinkable, to leave Jet alone, to die alone.

Jet had fallen, and so would they.

But not without putting up one hell of a fight.

Longshot had taken up the role of the protector, while Smellerbee cried alongside Jet. She couldn't help it. Jet was going to die, her fearless, reckless leader. She remained by his side, holding his hand and crying silent tears while Jet spoke softly and slowly, his words broken, until she heard the unmistakable sound of Longshot releasing an arrow.

In an instant, she was on her feet, two swords drawn, a third held between her teeth, just in time to see the Dai Li agents come flooding in. And without another thought, she leapt into battle, leaving Longshot with Jet, to guard him during his last moments.

She fought bravely, fiercely, putting up a good fight. She sliced through any rock hands that flew in her direction, and even managed to take down a Dai Li agent or two. However, a sound behind her made her stop dead:

Longshot had cried out, and then there was the unmistakable sound of a body hitting the ground.

She whirled around. Longshot was down, laying much too still, his eyes open and glossy. Her voice caught in her throat as she tried to call out to him, and she took off running towards him, forgetting the fight around her.

It had been her fatal mistake.

She had only been a few feet a way when she was struck, stone slamming into her back, crushing against her spine with an incredible _crack_, and just as Longshot had, she too went down.

Everything seemed to slow down. There were voices around her, but they were distant. All she could do was stare ahead, at Longshot, and at Jet. And then the voices died down, and she came to realize the Dai Li had left.

Jet and Longshot. They were only a few feet away. It became incredibly important to reach them, to be with them.

It was a struggle to move. Her legs didn't seem to work anymore, and any movement at all brought on torrential pain. But she didn't stop, dragging herself across the uneven stone floor, coughing up blood as she went.

She reached Jet first. He was a still as Longshot, his eyes closed, and Smellerbee had to choke back a sob. She was trembling, her whole body shaking from pain, from fear. Jet was gone.

Longshot was gone.

The pain was excruciating now, in her struggle to get to Longshot, but she didn't give up. She refused to give up. If she was going to die tonight, it would not be alone. It would be with Longshot.

Upon reaching him, she did break down crying, but from the pain or sadness, Smellerbee did not know. With a trembling hand, she reached around him, hugging him tightly, and rested her head against his shoulder.

She never thought it would end this way.

Not in a million years.

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><p>Woo! First one done! I have to say, not all stories will be as heavy as this one.<p>

And if anyone is wondering what happened to the Dai Li, they were called to help Long Feng at the topside of Lake Laogai.

I hope you enjoyed this, and constructive criticisms are always appreciated.


	2. When I First Saw You: Ursa

"_When I first saw you  
>I knew you had a flame in your heart…"<em>

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><p>Ursa never believed in true love. After all, she had never found it. Growing up in a very prominent noble family, she'd always known love was not really something she'd necessarily have. All her life had been spent preparing her for her marriage to the youngest prince of the Fire Nation.<p>

And so, she'd never entertained the thought of getting to know other young men around her age. What was the point, if she was to be left heart broken in the end?

She didn't mind Prince Ozai. She didn't particularly _like_ him, but that wasn't the point. Her parents had done all they could to secure her a very comfortable life; who was to say she couldn't learn to like the prince over time?

Their wedding day was celebrated as only a royal wedding could be; no expenses were spared, and she had never looked more beautiful in her life. It wasn't the happiest day of her life, as it should have been, though. It certainly wasn't the most depressing (no, that had been at the young age of twelve, when her pet turtle-duck had died), but she'd expected to have been a little more…excited about it.

But it was what it was, and she accepted it, and adapted. She'd always been good at that.

At becoming pregnant, Ursa had mixed feelings. It was her child, and she would love it unconditionally, but Ozai…. Ozai didn't seem excited in the slightest. He'd merely told her that he expected her to produce a strong son, one he could be proud of. Ursa wasn't exactly sure how she should go about completing that task; once certainly couldn't control that.

But she knew she didn't want any child of hers turning out like Ozai. If it bore any resemblance to her husband, she feared she wouldn't be able to love it like she should. It wasn't that Ozai was cruel to her. He was just cold, and never showed any affection.

At last the day came when she went into labor. Ozai checked in periodically, simply to ask if it was over and done with, and what was the gender? Sixteen grueling hours later, the infirmary was filled with the sounds of a wailing child, a son. And when he was placed in her arms, Ursa's breath was caught.

He was beautiful.

Zuko- as Ozai had decreed his name to be- was more perfect than Ursa could ever imagine. He had a dark head of hair, and shining yellow eyes, the sure-fire sign of a fire bender. And what was more, he was _hers_. Her son, her perfect baby boy.

And it was then that Ursa knew that love did exist, even love at first sight.

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><p>I love writing for Ursa, from her point of view. I may have to do it again.<p>

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please leave constructive criticisms.


	3. When the Fires Came: Jet

"_And when the fires came  
>The smell of cinders and rain<br>Perfumed almost everything…."_

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><p>It was nights like this that Jet was at ease the most. It was a summer night, the air warm, but not thick, with a light breeze fluttering through the trees. And Jet was in the best spot ever to feel the breeze, sitting high up in the trees, on a platform he'd built with Longshot.<p>

He had plans. Big plans. He and Longshot could not be the only teens in the area that had lost everything to the Fire Nation, there was no possible way. Orphans could be seen everywhere, scrounging for food, begging and stealing, wandering around barefoot and lost.

It made him so angry to see it.

He could relate. He'd been there, wandered as they once had, stolen as they had, all just in the hopes of living another day. And, he was sure he shared the same anger and resentment toward the Fire Nation, and the same need for vengeance.

He'd thrown the idea to Longshot once night when they camped out in a cave near a town. They'd been traveling together for a year, when Jet ended up accidentally working together with him to attack some Fire Nation soldiers. Jet hadn't really known what he was doing yet; his father had trained him to use the hook swords, which he'd kept on him at all times, but he still hadn't quite had the know how of attacking stealthily.

Longshot, however, had.

Jet had been tracking down the rogue soldiers, a band of four or so that had apparently gotten separated from the infantry. He hadn't known what he was doing; all he'd known was that he had the chance, right now, to take down these men and begin to avenge his family, his town. And he'd been clumsy, and loud, and before he knew it, he had all four soldiers around _him._

_Well, this isn't exactly how I expected this to go_, he'd thought, and was about to start lashing at all of them when the highly unexpected happened.

There was the snap of a bow, and suddenly, a soldier had an arrow through his neck. Jet didn't think he'd ever get the gurgling sound the man made as he fell to his knees, but he didn't take the time to reflect on that; with the other soldiers distracted, Jet attacked.

Within a few moments, all four soldiers were down, and Jet stood there, panting. There were more arrows now, all sticking out of the soldiers, which meant the mysterious archer was still out there. Jet scanned the trees around him for a moment, looking for a sign that anyone was out there, but there wasn't any.

Giving up, Jet shrugged and crouched down to see what sort of valuables the Fire Nation soldiers had. A few had a some pouches of coins, and a map, but other than that, there wasn't much. When Jet stood up again, there was a boy, a few yards away, holding a bow and staring at him.

He was wearing dark clothing, and an old, worn farmer's hat, making it hard to see his face. The boy stood still and straight, and Jet got the feeling that at any second, he could have an arrow shot at him before he had time to think. Jet stood there quietly for a moment, before pulling one of the bags of money he'd stolen from the soldiers out of his pocket, and tossed it to him.

"Thanks for your help," he called out to him. The boy didn't respond, but looked down at the bag, and picked it up. He stared at Jet for a moment, before turning and going further into the forest.

Oh, _hell_ no. Jet couldn't just let him leave like that; something had told him to go after him, and he took off running after the archer.

Which promptly led him to find himself face to face with a loaded bow, the arrow pointed straight between his eyes. It had taken a little time to convince the boy to lower his weapon, which then led to a very frustrating one sided conversation with him. The kid would just not answer him_ at all._

Eventually, Jet realized he just _didn't_ talk, which led to a fun time in trying to guess his name. It wasn't long before Jet had given up on that, deciding to just call him Longshot instead. And, somehow after that, they'd ended up sticking together. They worked well as a team, taking down rogue Fire Nation soldiers whenever the chance arose. Though they'd never talked about it, Jet knew Longshot had to have lost his family to the Fire Nation.

And then, one day, Jet had an idea. There were dozens of others like them; children and teens orphaned by the Fire Nation, who want their revenge, who want the Fire Nation gone. They could band together, create their own group of fighters, and fight for their freedom, and for the freedom of all the Earth Kingdom.

They'd become the Freedom Fighters, a name Jet was sure would stick. They'd just need a hide out.

It was Longshot's idea to have it high in the trees, to make it difficult to find, and very safe. That was important. Jet wanted the Freedom Fighters to become well known, to have the Fire Nation fear them. If they were feared, they would be hunted, so a very secure and hidden place for them all to live.

They were beginning to build it. It was difficult, constructing platforms so high up in the trees, but Jet was determined. This would happen. They'd already found a couple of others; a large teen who went by the rather comical name of Pipsqueak, and a quiet burly boy named Sneers. Both were highly interested, but not sold on the idea yet.

They'd come around. Jet was sure of it.

Yes, everything was slowly coming together, and on a night like this, Jet felt good. Everything was calm, and with the light breeze came the ever familiar smells of earth and trees and smoke-

Jet bolted upright the second he realized what he was smelling. _Smoke. _The smell alone was enough to send him on end, give him flashbacks to when his village was destroyed. And, he couldn't help but think that maybe, somewhere, a village was being attacked.

Or it could be nothing. Longshot could be cooking, making a late second supper. But that was unlikely.

A sickening feeling in his stomach, Jet leapt down through the trees, to the forest floor; he'd grown increasingly nimble in maneuvering through the branches, relying on his hook swords for balance at times. Longshot was standing not too far away, staring off in the distance. There was no sign of a campfire around him.

"Shit," Jet murmured, walking up to Longshot. The closest town not occupied by the Fire Nation was miles away; it would take one hell of a fire for the smell to drift here.

Longshot looked to Jet, clearly asking what the plan was.

"We have to go to the town," Jet said, determined. It would take them a while to get there, but if they were able to save anyone, it would be worth it.

It was hard to keep a steady pace on the way to the town; they'd seen the smoke rising, the orange glow far off in the distance once they'd left the forest. If they traveled too quickly, they'd be worn out and exhausted, and not much help to anyone left in the village. But, if they went too slowly, there might be no one to save.

Luckily, Jet was running on adrenaline, and so did Longshot, it seemed. Jet was eager to get into a fight; it had been weeks since they'd found any soldiers. It gave him purpose, a reason, when he took down a Fire Nation soldier. He could already imagine himself there, taking down soldiers left and right, becoming a hero to the town.

However, when they came to where the fire was, there was practically no town left to save.

The fire was everywhere; most buildings, by this point, were falling apart, burning walls and rubble falling to the ground. Jet could see bodies strewn about, here and there. The smoke was thickly billowing up; it was all he could smell.

And there wasn't a god damned Fire Nation soldier in sight.

Jet's blood was boiling, he could feel it pulsing beneath his skin. The Fire Nation had been here, they'd destroyed this town, and left; left the people to die, and for those who survived to be lost without a home forever. He wanted to kill them all, every soldier, every man and woman of the Fire Nation.

And then Longshot was going ahead, hesitantly, toward the quickly burning town, and Jet was following him. When Longshot picked up the pace, nearly to the run, Jet was surprised, and jolted out of his daydreams of finding the soldiers, and slaughtering them. And that was when he heard it:

Cries for help.

Jet ran passed Longshot, toward the nearest building, where the screams were coming from, and without considering how incredibly stupid it was, he leapt inside.

The smoke outside was nothing compared to the inside; Jet wasn't sure he could even breathe in there, the smoke was so thick and hot. It felt like an oven, and there were flames everywhere.

But he wasn't coming here in vain. He would save whoever it was, damn it, or die trying.

Struggling to keep from coughing, and narrowly avoiding a fallen board, he made it to the next room, where a gangly girl (or was it a boy?) was screaming and crying, and trying to carrying a woman out; the girl was just simply too small to support the woman's weight.

Jet grabbed the girl, to get her out, but she put up a fight, struggling and yelling, that she couldn't leave her mother, and Jet knew that none of them would get out if the woman wasn't carried out.

Longshot was suddenly at his side, and Jet shoved the girl at him, before setting on carrying the woman. She was heavy, and half under burning rubble, and Jet knew she was dead the second he touched her. But damn it all; he'd never had the chance to bury his parents, but this girl would. He would see to that.

He only just made it out of the house; no sooner had he dropped down on a grassy patch a safe distance away than the house collapsed. He rolled the woman onto her back as the girl ran over, followed by Longshot; vaguely, he could tell the girl was calling to the woman, her mother, but he was coughing too loudly to hear it.

Longshot left them alone, to search around for other survivors, but not before delivering a look to Jet, warning him not to go back into the smoke and fire; he'd inhaled too much as is. As he recovered, Jet distanced himself a little from the girl. She'd discover her mother wasn't going to wake up soon enough, and she'd need her space then.

Jet didn't like this, having to stay on the side, but Longshot was right. He needed to recover, or he'd be useless entirely. His lungs felt like they were burning still, and his eyes were hot, and kept watering.

"She's dead."

Jet looked over at the girl (he'd decided she was a girl, after hearing her speak). She was sitting, just by her mother, soot and ash all over, looking very much like every other orphan Jet had ever encountered. He looked her over for a second, then nodded. "I know."

The girl looked down at her mother again, her face pained, but somehow, she was doing a damn good job of not breaking down and crying. Jet didn't know how she'd done it; he'd cried when his parents had died. He had to admire her strength at that moment.

Longshot returned then; Jet and the girl looked to him. He simply shook his head, and Jet couldn't help the anger and disappointment that ran through him. They'd been too late to help anyone; anyone except this girl.

This girl, who was suddenly an orphan like them: lost, alone, and, from the look on her face, developing a newfound hatred for the Fire Nation. She'd be perfect to join them.

Jet coughed a little when he first tried to speak, but then quickly gained control over it. "Do you have anywhere to go?" he asked. "Somewhere safe? There's probably still Fire Nation soldiers out there."

The girl looked back at the burning town, and Jet knew the answer before she spoke. Everything and everyone she'd known had probably been in that town.

"No," she said quietly after a moment.

Jet looked at Longshot. He was watching the girl closely, a concerned look about him. Turning back to the girl, he said, "You should come with us. We have a safe place. In the morning, we can- we can bury her."

The girl was quiet for a few moments, and Jet allowed her the time to think. She was probably having a hard time processing it all, after everything had happened.

"Who are you?"

Oh, right. Introductions. Jet hadn't even thought about that. "I'm Jet," he said, and then gestured to Longshot. "This is Longshot."

The girl looked at the two of them, frowning. "Are those your real names?"

Well, that was certainly a legitimate question. Jet shook his head. "Nicknames," he said simply, offering no further explanation. He didn't know Longshot's real name, and as for himself…. Well, he'd adopted the name 'Jet' shortly after he lost everything. A new start had been necessary, along with a new name.

The girl nodded, and then said, "I'm Smellerbee."

Jet nearly raised an eyebrow at that, but caught himself. No need to make her uncomfortable; if she wanted to be known as…that, then fine. He wasn't there to judge. Instead, he nodded, repeating her name, before standing.

He coughed again, only a little, before offering his hand to Smellerbee. "Let's go, before the soldiers get back," he said.

She scowled, but accepted his hand, before angrily spitting out, "If they do come back, I'll kill them myself."

And that was when he knew she would fit perfectly in with the Freedom Fighters.

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><p>I've always wanted to write an origin story for the Freedom Fighters, and I finally have. Hoorah!<p>

Constructive criticisms are always appreciated.


	4. Never Be Apart: Mai

"_Daniel  
>When I first saw you<br>I knew that you had a flame in your heart  
>And under wild blue skies<br>Marble movie skies  
>I found a home in your eyes<br>We'll never be apart…."_

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><p>It started out as puppy love, or at least it did for Mai.<p>

Her parents had been absolutely thrilled when Princess Azula befriended her; their daughter, the best friend of the princess. It couldn't be more perfect. All they'd wanted out of life was to have status, and Mai was practically handing it to them. They were more than eager to send Mai over to the palace to play with Azula whenever she wished to have her there.

Mai didn't mind. Azula could be fun, and there was a strange danger in playing with her. Looking back on it now, she could see that was part of the thrill in befriending Azula. Azula had a mean streak, and it was always more fun to be siding with her, in the teasing and taunting of others, than to be the one who ended up with the brunt of it.

But there had been another reason she'd enjoyed playing with Azula. In going over to visit Azula, she got to see Prince Zuko as well. There'd been no real romantic feelings back then, at the tender age of eight, but she'd noticed him, thought he was cute. But more than anything, she loved how freely he displayed emotion.

She'd never been allowed to have outbursts, to get angry or frustrated. Azula never really showed _real_ emotion; she was always careful to put up a façade, to keep others from figuring out her true intentions; even at such a young age, Azula had been clearly dangerous. And yes, of course, Ty Lee was always perky and happy, but there was no passion there.

Zuko was the anomaly, and she'd never seen it before, and it was all so fascinating. When he was happy, he smiled, and he laughed. When he was angry, he threw a tantrum, and when he was frustrated, he yelled.

And she was drawn to that.

Of course, Mai never sought him out. Sometimes Azula brought him into their games, but that was mostly just to humiliate him, or Mai and him. But she quietly enjoyed any time she was allowed near him.

But, she had her first kiss with him.

It had been a summer's night, about two weeks before Zuko was fatefully banished. A celebration was being held in the royal palace, in honor of the summer solstice. The sun had gone down long ago, and the festivities were still going strong. Mai had stepped away from the crowd for a breath of fresh air, and to find some sort of calmness. And it was then that she found Zuko, sitting along on a step and staring at the sky.

She hadn't gone over to him immediately. She was only twelve, and was starting to get those weird mushy feelings around Zuko. Instead, she only stood quietly for a moment or so, enjoying the tranquility. But, eventually, Zuko either sensed her there, or just happened to look over, for then she heard him say, "Mai?"

She looked at him. "Hello, Prince Zuko."

"What're you doing out here?" He leaned back, shifting to look at her.

Mai took a few steps closer to him. "I was looking for quiet."

"Me too."

She almost smiled at that, but held back. After all the times she was scolded for being too outlandish, she had learned it was better to simply hold back any and all emotions; she never knew which reaction would be the wrong one.

"Do you want to sit?" Zuko asked after a few seconds of silence, and Mai nodded, walking over to the stairs, to sit with him.

And once again, there was silence between them. Mai didn't mind. She didn't talk too much anyway, and she certainly didn't know what to say to Zuko. They hadn't spent enough time together to know exactly what to talk about with him, not to mention that it was _Zuko._

He looked so handsome that night, in special ceremonial garb, and his hair pulled back in a top knot. It never looked as sleek Azula's had, with some light bangs and loose hairs falling over his forehead. It was wonderful.

When Zuko spoke next, he was pink in the cheeks. "You look nice," he said quietly, practically mumbling as he spoke.

And Mai did smile then, only just barely. "Thank you." She'd spent the whole morning getting ready, with servants dressing her and doing her hair over and over, as well as her make up. She'd thought it was stupid and tiring, but now that Zuko had acknowledged that she looked nice, it seemed rather worth it. "You look nice, too."

Zuko turned bright red then, and Mai couldn't help but love that. He stuttered out a thank you then looked back at the sky. She followed his gaze, but not for long, and kept stealing glances at Zuko.

Then he looked over at her when she was looking at him, and she didn't turn away. His cheeks were still rather pink, and he seemed nervous. And then he started shift closer and lean in, and Mai knew what was going to happen: she was about to get her first kiss.

It was awkward, to say the least. Their noses bumped into each other, and Zuko nearly fell off the step when he leaned in, but Mai didn't care. He'd kissed her, he'd absolutely kissed her and it was so amazing.

She wanted to dance and sing-

But she didn't, of course. She'd just smiled a barely there smile, and leaned in for one more kiss.

And she knew at that moment, they'd be together forever.

Of course, that turned out to be very wrong. Within two weeks, Zuko had deeply disgraced his father, was burned in an Agni Kai, and banished. When she'd heard that, and the terms into which he'd be allowed back, she knew that Zuko could never return home. Could his father have given him a more impossible task to complete? Finding the Avatar? The Avatar had been hiding successfully for a hundred years; there was no way he'd ever be found.

Years passed. Mai didn't forget Zuko, but she knew better than to dwell on the idea of them ever being together. Then, she'd heard the news:

The Avatar was back, and if she knew Zuko, he'd find him. He'd never give up on it, never.

But her hope of Zuko ever finding her again was squashed when her father was made governor over the recently fallen Earth Kingdom city of Omashu, which was now being called New Azulon. No one she knew would ever journey to the Earth Kingdom. She was destined to be alone forever, bored and miserable.

Then Azula showed up, asking for her help in tracking down General Iroh, and Mai knew exactly what that meant. Zuko would be with him. Iroh had chosen to leave with Zuko in his banishment; wherever Iroh was, Zuko was.

It was a lucky thing that Mai never had to attack Zuko. She didn't think she'd ever have the heart to do so. And in the end, he came back to the Fire Nation willingly, a hero.

And more importantly, as her boyfriend.

They'd rekindled in the palace of Ba Sing Se. He'd been exhausted, overwhelmed, and she almost didn't want to go near him because of it. He probably needed time; time to recuperate, and fall back into place as prince to the Fire Nation. And furthermore, there were some rather troubling questions that were keeping Mai for seeking him out immediately. What would they do? How would they act around each other? How would _Zuko_ act? What if he was an entirely different person now? What difference would three years make between them?

And despite all these questions, Mai had never considered how he would _look_ now. She'd forgotten about his father burning him, and never thought that he'd have scarred.

It nearly broke her heart, when she first saw him after Ba Sing Se had fallen, and the Avatar was supposedly dead. She almost didn't recognize him, from the handsome young boy he'd once been. The scar was so red and angry, and extended so far over his face. He was taller, his shoulders broad, but not quite as broad as a grown man, and his hair was shockingly short; Zuko would never be able to put it up in a top knot at that length. But, Mai found that she didn't mind it.

Despite his scar, he was still handsome. But still, it pulled at her heartstrings to see the ugly red mark on his face.

He had looked so surprised to see her. She had come into the throne room, looking for Azula, in all honesty. Instead she found Zuko sitting by himself, not on the throne, but on the stairs, and she couldn't help but be reminded of when they'd first kissed. He'd looked over at her, and then away, before looking quickly back at her, shock and disbelief all over his face.

"M-Mai!" he'd stuttered out, instantly on his feet. "What are you doing here?"

"Azula asked for my help with something," Mai had replied, as if that were the complete and whole truth. She wasn't exactly eager about sharing that the task had been tracking down Zuko and his uncle.

"You've been here the whole time?" Zuko seemed to be having trouble taking in all of this, and she couldn't really blame him. In an instant, it seemed, his life had completely flipped and gone back to normal- well, normal for him. He would be heading back to the Fire Nation soon enough, welcomed by his father.

Mai nodded. She wanted, strangely enough, to reach out and stroke his cheek, and give him an official welcome. She held back. Who knew how Zuko felt about her anymore? They'd only kissed once, three years ago. He could be a completely different person-

Her fears were squashed when Zuko rather suddenly pulled her into a tight hug. Mai couldn't allow herself to lean into it, and return the hug; such signs of affection were vacant in her household, and giving into such desires just seemed…wrong. However, she did enjoy it, just quietly, inwardly.

Zuko seemed to realize what he'd done, acting without thinking, and quickly let go of her, apologizing. "I'm sorry," he said quickly, faintly pink in the cheeks. "I wasn't thinking."

"It's fine," Mai said, and in a bold move, she gently brushed her fingertips against his hand.

And just like that, it was as if no time had passed.

They simply worked together as a couple, so flawlessly. Zuko, for the most part, understood her. Except for a brief period on Ember Island, he perfectly understood how reserved she was. He understood her sense of humor; he understood _her_.

And she, in turn, tried to understand him. It was difficult; he was just a constant swirl of emotions, usually conflicting ones. At times, he just seemed so lost, and if she were of a more nurturing nature, Mai would have tried to console him. But that wasn't who she was. Instead, she accepted it, and rolled with it whenever it happened.

Because they were together, and once again, she fooled herself into thinking that they'd never be apart.

Of course, fate had to prove her wrong once again. On the day of the eclipse, Zuko disappeared without so much as a goodbye, leaving her only a letter, a letter that hardly explained anything. She'd read it so many times, hoping that _something_ would reach out to her, so she could understand why he abandoned her, and his country once more.

It hurt. It hurt a lot; why hadn't he at least said goodbye? Told her what was going on? She thought she'd known him, but it appeared that she didn't know him at all.

When she received a letter via Fire Hawk from her uncle one day, explaining that Zuko was being held at the Boiling Rock, she hadn't hesitated. She'd immediately left for the prison, without a word to Azula. Zuko's sister would surely find out soon enough that Zuko had broken into the prison (what he'd been thinking, she'd never understand), and Mai wanted a chance to speak with him before Azula reached him.

Zuko clearly had not been expecting to see Mai at the prison. They'd argued, and talked, and she wanted to understand Zuko, she wanted it to all make sense, what he was doing. He'd abandoned the throne, had betrayed his country and her, and what really hit her was that he really seemed to think that he was doing something _good._

How could it be good? He was going against everything she'd ever been taught. And he'd gone so far as to _lock her in a cell _to do it.

Mai didn't understand. She couldn't understand his reasons. But when she looked through the small window, and saw Zuko's eyes, she understood one thing: he loved her, and it hurt him to do this to her.

If they'd had more time, maybe he could have explained it all. But she'd never know that. Instead, she started to believe, all on her own, that maybe Zuko was onto the right thing.

She knew how hard it was for Zuko to turn against family, and those he loved. Though he hardly spoke of his uncle to her, she knew the guilt he had from 'betraying' him ran deep, and he regretted it. And she knew that he would never ever do the same thing to anyone else, unless absolutely necessary.

And whatever Zuko was doing was absolutely necessary.

She could believe that. And furthermore, she wanted to be with him for that. He still loved her, and she did still love him. And as the guard tried to break down the steel door, Mai resolved to do whatever she could to help him.

The chance was given not too long later, when she and the guard were finally freed from the cell. It seemed that Zuko and some others had taken her uncle hostage and were fleeing via the gondola; as soon as she heard that, she raced up to where the gondola was, in time to see Azula and Ty Lee fighting atop the gondola.

She could only pray that Zuko survived this.

Their luck seemed to run out, however, when the warden yelled for the line to be cut; if that happened, all of them, including Zuko, would die.

Mai couldn't let that happen. She had to figure out a way to save him. So she stopped the guards, pinning them with her daggers so they couldn't cut the line, and starting the gondola up again.

Of course, she'd been tossed in prison, along with Ty Lee, for betraying Azula, and all Mai could think was that she hoped Zuko knew what she'd done, and that he did, in the end, survive.

The weeks in prison were long, and terrible. She was bored, and had been separated from Ty Lee, probably at Azula's bidding. She made no friends, and was, in a word, miserable. As the days passed, and no word reached her of what happened to Zuko, Mai worried more and more.

A few days after Sozin's Comet came, she was released. Apparently, her uncle had done what he could to have her released from the Boiling Rock. It was only after she reached her parent's home that she learned all of what had happened. Avatar Aang had defeated Fire Lord Ozai, and Zuko, along with a girl from the southern water tribe, had defeated Azula. Zuko was now Fire Lord, and the war was declared over.

Mai had stayed home long enough to get cleaned up, before rushing to the palace. She'd always been a familiar face there, and knew how to gain entrance. Upon getting inside, it had only taken minutes for her to find Zuko.

They reconnected instantly, and Mai almost couldn't believe how easy it was just to fall back into place with him. There were no awkward pauses (at least, none besides the usual ones with Zuko), no stumbling over words, nothing. It was effortless.

Because it was love, and this time, Mai knew it.

They would never be apart.

* * *

><p>Sorry this addition took so long; my life has gotten rather hectic, and it's hard for me to find time, or the inspiration, to write anymore. Hopefully things will slow down so I can shovel out a few more chapters.<p>

I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Please leave constructive criticisms.


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